The present invention relates to a braking apparatus for a wheeled recreational riding board apparatus, for instance a skateboard.
Skateboards of the type including a board for supporting a user, a front wheel assembly connected to an underside of the board and a rear wheel assembly connected to an underside of the board are known and have been used as toys by children and, more recently, for recreational and sporting purposes by adults.
However, such skateboards have generally suffered from a disadvantage in that the skateboards do not include an arrangement for safe and readily controllable braking.
The present invention seeks, among other things, to overcome the above mentioned disadvantage.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a braking apparatus for a wheeled recreational riding board apparatus, characterised in that it comprises a wheel mounting assembly arranged to rotate about an axle of the board apparatus, the wheel mounting assembly having a first braking surface, and a braking member disposed about the axle and being arranged to move along the axle, the braking member having a second braking surface, wherein the first and second braking surfaces are relatively rotatable, in use, and wherein contact of the first braking surface and the second braking surface whilst the wheel mounting assembly is rotating about the axle of the board causes braking to be effected.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a braking apparatus for a wheeled recreational riding board apparatus, characterised in that it comprises a wheel mounting assembly arranged to rotate about an axle of the board apparatus, the braking apparatus having at least one braking surface and a braking member, and a rider operated actuating means being provided which is, in use, arrange to be manipulated in more than one direction in order to operate the actuation means, and wherein operation of the actuation means when the wheel mounting assembly is rotating about the axle causes braking to be effected.